Flying cutting device



M y 21, 1940- K. w. HALLDEN 2,201,581

FLYING CUTTING DEVICE Filed Jan. 14, 1939 Patented May 21, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FLYING CUTTING DEVICE Karl W. Hallden,"1homaston, Conn- Application January 14, 1939, Serial No. 250,897

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in flying cutting devices in which stock, for example, sheet metal, is continuously fed by feed-means to cutter-means which cuts the stock into lengths without stopping the feed of the stock, and more particularly relates to flying cutting devices having means for adjusting the relative speeds of the feed-means and cutter-means to accomplish different lengths of cut.

One object of this invention is to provide a flying cutting device having an improved combination of feed-means, cutter-means and adjustable means interconnecting the feed-means and cutter-means, said adjustable means including an inflnitesimally-adjustable unit and a stepgear unit and serving for adjusting the relative speeds of, and being so combined with, the feed means and cutter-means, that shocks caused by the cutter-means in making cuts will not be transmitted to the necessarily relatively-delicate infinitesimally-adiustable unit.

With the above and other objects in viewfas will appear to those skilled in the art from the present disclosure, this invention includes all features in the said disclosure which are novel over the prior art.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of the present disclosure, in which one way of carrying out the invention is shown for illustrative purposes:

Fig; 1 is a top plan diagrammatic view illustrating one embodiment of the invention;- and Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 22 of Fig. 1. In the description and claims, the various parts are identified by specific names for convenience, but they are intended to be as generic in their application as the prior art will permit.

Referring to the drawing showing the particular form of the invention chosen for illustration, thecutter-means in the form of cutter-rolls I and feed-means in the form of feed-rolls II are driven by drive-means in the form of an electric motor I2 through mechanism interconnecting the cutter-rolls I0 and feed-rolls II and including a presettable infinitesimally-adjustable speed-ratio unit I3, a differential-gear unit I 4, a change-gear or step-gear unit I5, and synchronizing means I 6.

The infinitesimally-adjustable speed-ratio unit I3 and the differential-gear unit I4 are interposed in driving relation between the feed-rolls II and shaft Il driven by the drive motor I2. The change-gear unit means I6 are arranged in driving relation between the cutter-rolls I0 and the shaft I'!.

The particular form of the flying cutter-means I5 and synchronizing I0 and the synchronizing means I6 forms no part of the present invention and may be of any suitable type.

Thestock to be cut, which may, for example, be in the form of sheet-metal I8, is continuously fed by the feed-rolls II to cause the stock IB to be fed in the direction of the arrow I9 to the cutterrolls I0, each of which carries a cutter-blade or shear-knife 20. In order to cut the stock I8 into any of various pre-selected lengths desired while the stock continues to be fed through the machine, it is necessary to change the speed of either the feed-rolls-II or the cutter-rolls I0, or

means II and the shaft II driven by the drive- A motor I2, as previously described, employing the relatively-rugged synchronizing means I6 and change-gear unit I5 between the cutter-means I0 and the shaft I'I driven by the drive-motor I2.

Thus, and as will be more fully explained in detail hereinafter, the change-gear unit I5 provides for varying the relative .speed between the shaft I1 and the cutter-means Ill by-a series of relatively-large steps, while the differential-gear unit I4 and infinitesimally-adjustable speedratio unit I3 provide means for varying the relative speed between the shaft II and the feedmeans II by infinitesimally-small adjustments, and by the particular relationship of the units I3 and I4 with the unit I5, as will be more fully explained hereinafter, any desired speed relation between the cutter-means I0 and feed-means I I can be obtained. I

The shaft II driven from the drive-motor I2 through pulley 2|, belt 22 and pulley 23, has secured thereto a pinion 24 in driving relation with a gear 25 secured to a shaft 26. Shaft 26 drives the input shaft 21 of the infinitesimallv-adjustable speed-ratio unit I3 throu h the pair of bevel gears 28. shaft 29. and a pair of spur gears 30. a

The left end of shaft 26 has a bevel gear 3| secured thereto which meshes with two bevel sungears 32 pivoted at 33 to the differential housing 34, the gears 32 in turn meshing with a bevel gear 35 secured to a differential output-shaft 36 which,

through suitable gearing ll drives one of the feed-rolls H, the two feed-rolls being geared together to rotate at equal speeds in opposite directions in a usual manner. .The diflferential-gear unit l4 comprises the diii'erential gears ll, 52 and 35 and diiferential housing 34.

A worm gear 31 is secured to the diflerential housing 34 and meshes with a worm 38 carried by or formed on a shaft 39 which is coupled to the output shaft 40 of the unit IS. The unit I3 has a special sprocket chain 4| in driving relation between two pairs of conical sprocket wheels 42 and 45, the wheels of each pair of sprocket wheels being adjustable toward and from one another by suitable means, not shown, the particular unit I: shown, being a commercial device known as the P. I. V." made by the Link-Belt Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Most of the power transmitted from the shaft I! to the feed-rolls ii is transmitted through the diflerential-unit l4, a minor portion of the power passing through the unit I3 which can be set to give, through the worm 38 and worm gear 31, any desired speed of rotation to the differential housing 34 within the range provided by the infinitesimal adjustability of the unit l3, to thus act as a control or governor for the diilerential-unit I4 to give any desired speed to the feed-rolls H.

The shaft i1 is adapted to drive a shaft 44 through any one of four pairs of selectivelyengageable change-gears or step-gears 45, 46, 41 and 48, by suitable actuation of one or the other of the clutch members 49 or 50 in a way that is well known.

The shaft 44 has secured thereto, a pinion i which meshes with a gear 52 which drives one of the cutter-rolls i0 through shaft 53, pair of eccentric gears 54, friction clutch 55, a second pair of eccentric gears 56, shaft 51 and coupling 58, the two cutter-rolls being geared together to rotate at equal speeds in opposite directions in a usual manner. The pairs of eccentric gears and clutch elements just described, comprise the synchronizing means [5. No detailed description is necessary, of the manner of obtaining the synchronizing by the synchronizing means, as this not only forms no part of the present invention, but is also amply and fully described in applicants copending application, Ser. No. 167,192, flied October 4, 1937.

The pairs of change-gears or step-gears 45, 46, 41 and 48 provide means whereby the speed of rotation of the cutter-rolls can be varied in steps to thus correspondingly vary the length of cuts being made from the stock I8 fed therethrough by the feed-rolls II, and the infinitesimally-adjustable speed-ratio unit l3 in conjunction with the differential-gear unit i4 provides infinitesimally-adjustable means whereby the feed-rolls II can have their speed varied by infinitesimal gradations covering the gaps between the pairs of step-gears 45, 46, 41 and 48. Thus, the step-by-step adjustment of the cutter-means l0 and the infinitesimal adjustment or the feedmeans ll together provide for complete infinitesimal adjustment of the speed-ratios between the cutter-means I! and the feed-means ii over the whole range of the step-gears. The electric motor I! is preferably one whose speed can be readily adjusted so that, when the speed of feed of the feed-rolls II is lowered by an adjustment or unit i3 below a desired speed of output of cut stock, the speed of the motor I 2 can be adjusted to a higher speed so as to hold the speed of outputsubstantiallyconstant'atalltimifsodesired.

when anychangeinspeedoftheieed-rolls H or of the cutter-rolls II is made, proper adjustment of the synchronizing means II is made to bring the speed of the cutter-blades 2| at the instant of cut to exactly the speed of travel of the stock It being cut so as not to tear or buckle the stock.

It will be seen that by having the relativelydelicate infinitesimally-adiustable unit ll located between the teed-means I I and the shaft ll driven by the drive-motor Ii, that shocks resultant from the action of the cutter-blades 2| are not imposed on the unit l3, but instead. the shocks are born by the step-gear unit II which is the relatively rugged part of the adjusting means. Also less power is required to operate the feedrol1s than is required to operate the cutter-rolls.

The invention may be carried out in other specific ways than those herein set forth without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the invention, and the present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes coming within the meaningand equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.

I claim:

1. A flying cutting device comprising: drivemeans; cutter-means and feed-means for said cutter-means, driven by said drive-means; and precision infinitesimally-adjustable means interconnecting said cutter-means and said feedmeans and including, a change-gear unit having a plurality of selectively-engageable pairs of change-gears of diflerent speed-ratios diil'ering by relatively-large steps, a differential-gear unit having a diflerential output-shaft, and a presettable infinitesimally-adjustable speed-ratio unit having a rotatable mechanical-drive connection with said differential-gear unit and adapted to rotate said connection uninterruptedly to operatively control the speed of rotation of said differential output-shaft and having an infinitesimally-adjustable speed-ratio range at least equal to the speed-ratio range between each two successive speed-ratios provided by said pairs of change-gears and designed and adapted to be set to give and maintain any desired predetermined speed-ratio between each two successive speedratios provided by said pairs of change-gears; said change-gear unit, differential gear-unit and inflnitesimally-adjustable speed-ratio unit together forming means designed and adapted to provide a continuous precision inflnitesimally-adjustable range of speed-ratios between said cutter-means and said feed-means, over the whole range of steps provided by said pairs of changegears; said change-gear unit being operatively interposed between said drive-means and said cutter-means; and said diil'erential gear-unit and said inflnitesimally-adjustable speed-ratio unit being operatively interposed between said drivemeans and said feed-means.

2. A flying cutting device comprising: drivemeans; cutter-means and feed-means for said cutter-means, driven by said drive-means; and precision inflnitesimally-adjustable means interconnecting said cutter-means and said feedmeans and including, a change-gear unit having a" plurality oi selectively-engageable pairs of change-gears oi different speed-ratios differing by relatively-large steps. a (inferential-gear unit having a diflerential output-shaft, and a presettable inflnitesimally-adjustable speed-ratio unit having a rotatable mechanical-drive connection with said differential-gear unit and adapted to rotate said connection uiiinterruptedly and at substantially-uniform angular speed at any adjustment of said infinitesimaily-adjustable speedratio unit to operatively control the speed of r0- tation of said difierential output-shaft and having an infinitesimally-adjustable speed-ratio range at least equal to the speed-ratio range between each two successive speed-ratios provided by said pairs of change-gears and designed and adapted to be set to give and maintain any desired predetermined speed-ratio between each vtwo successive speed-ratios provided by said pairs signed and adapted to provide a continuous precision infinitesimaily-adjustable range of speedratios betweensaid cutter-means and said feedmeans, over the whole range of steps provided by said pairs of change-gears; said change-gear unit being operatively interposed between said drivemeans and said cutter-means; and said difierential gear-unit andsaid infinitesimally-adjustable speed-ratio unit being operatively interposed between said drive-means and said feed-means.

KARL waHALLDEN. 

